EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL: EDUCATION SERVICE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE SECONDARY TRANSFER ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN THE CATCHMENT AREA OF LENNOXTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 2019

1.0 Background

1.1 ’s current school provision and arrangements for Primary 7 to S1 transfer arrangements are underpinned by legislative requirements in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. This requires the Council to: i. ensure effective management of their school estate and provide sufficient places for their pupil population; ii. adhere to the general principle that children should be educated in line with their parents’ wishes; iii. ensure that all admissions must comply with class size legislation and national staffing agreements.

1.2 Children who live in the catchment area of Lennoxtown Primary School, in Lennoxtown and the catchment area of Craighead Primary School in Milton of Campsie are zoned to St Ninian’s High School in , East Dunbartonshire and to Kilsyth Academy in North Lanarkshire. When transferring to secondary education, parents can choose to send their child to either school as a catchment pupil. This arrangement has been in place since 1997 as a legacy of regional councils and is common across local authorities.

1.3 St Ninian’s High School has an overall capacity of 850 and in order to manage this effectively the S1 roll is capped at 150.

2.0 Present Position

2.1 In the last three years, there has been a significant increase in the number of pupils opting to transfer to St Ninian’s High School Pupils from Lennoxtown have opted to go to Kilsyth Academy or to make placing requests to other schools within East Dunbartonshire; only a small number have transferred to St Ninian’s High School.

Associated Associated Roll Transfer Sec 1 Year Primary Associated Sec 1 Associated Sec 2 Transfer2 Sec 2 (P7) 1 Transfer Transfer (%) (%) 2017 Craighead PS 34 Kilsyth Academy 12 35.3% St Ninian's HS 22 64.7% 2018 Craighead PS 39 Kilsyth Academy 4 10.3% St Ninian's HS 34 87.2% 2019 Craighead PS 38 Kilsyth Academy 9 23.7% St Ninian's HS 27 71.1% Lennoxtown 2017 18 Kilsyth Academy 10 55.6% St Ninian's HS 0.0% PS Lennoxtown 2018 11 Kilsyth Academy 8 72% St Ninian's HS 0.0% PS Lennoxtown 2019 16 Kilsyth Academy 7 44% St Ninian's HS * PS

*less than 5 pupils; the exact number cannot be given due to Data Protection.

2.2 The number of children transferring from Craighead Primary and Lennoxtown Primary over the next five years is:

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Craighead PS 30 34 42 34 36 Lennoxtown PS 22 30 23 14 22

2.3 The table in 2.1 above shows that approximately 75% of Craighead Primary have been opting to transfer to St Ninian’s High School. If this trend were to continue and no future placing requests are accepted into S1 after 2019, then the projected intake would start to exceed capacity in 2020. This projection does not take account of children from Lennoxtown Primary, who may choose to transfer to St Ninian’s as their catchment secondary school.

3.0 Informal Consultation 3.1 The Council approved an informal consultation on the secondary transfer arrangements for children, who attend Craighead Primary and Lennoxtown Primary in May 2019. (PB/096/19/JM). 3.2 The informal consultation took place from 16 May 2019 and ended on 21 June 2019. It involved:  Meetings with the Parent Councils of Craighead Primary, Lennoxtown Primary and St Ninian’s High School;  Information on the informal consultation was sent to the Parent Councils of Kirkintilloch High School and Academy;  Information was sent to the parents of both primary schools and St Machan’s Primary;  Open public meetings were held in: o Craighead Primary on 30 May; o Lennoxtown Primary on 4 June;  Pupils in both primary schools were consulted;  Parents and other members of the community were offered the opportunity to provide comments by email;  The Roman Catholic Church were consulted through the Archdiocese, as they would be a statutory consultee in any statutory consultation.

3.3 The consultation focused on two questions:  What are the main factors that you take into account when choosing a secondary school for your child?  If there was an option of a non-denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire Council, what would be your view?

The public meetings offered the opportunity for question and discussion on the key issues 3.4 The public meetings were well attended in both schools, with approximately 100 people attending. Six email responses were submitted. 3.5 The responses can be summarised as follows: 3.5.1 The main factors parents gave for choosing a secondary school for their child are detailed below. The same reasons were given by both school communities.  The provision of school transport;  Easy access to the school by public transport so that children could attend after school activities;  An inclusive and positive ethos;  High standards of attainment and achievement;  A wide selection of subjects available in the Senior Phase;  Opportunities for wider achievement;  The provision for children with additional support needs;

 The facilities available within the school;  The reputation of the school from inspection reports, school exam results;  Same school as friendship group or siblings. 3.5.2 Pupils gave similar responses and highlighted friendship groups, the standard of education and good teachers as important. 3.5.3 In response to the option of a non-denominational secondary school, there was overwhelming support for this proposal. The main issues were:  The need for a direct bus route to the school so that children could attend after school activities;  As Lennoxtown is designated as a Place priority area, this was viewed as very important especially if there was a reliance on public transport;  There was support for Kilsyth Academy being retained as an option;  There was concern that Lennoxtown pupils may not be able to attend St Ninian’s High School due to the roll pressures;  There was a request that the two communities are not split with different secondary schools being the catchment school;  There are already a number of placing requests to Lenzie Academy from Lennoxtown and this is seen as a positive option as it would have a significant impact on regeneration within this Place area;  Different in-service days and some holiday dates cause issues for parents. 3.6 There was discussion with the representative from the Catholic Church Archdiocese. They were in favour of the option of another non-denominational school as they view it as important to maintain the Catholic ethos of St Ninian’s High School. 3.7 Officers have had initial discussions with officers from North Lanarkshire Council., in order to understand the impact of any proposals on Kilsyth Academy.

4.0 Options 4.1 Following the Informal Consultation, it was clear that there was strong support for a non-denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire to be an option for parents when choosing a secondary school for their child. Officers then considered a number of options. 4.2 Option 1: Do nothing This is not a viable option as the Council may fail to comply with its duty to provide sufficient catchment pupil places in St Ninian’s High School, if the current trend continues. It was very clear from the informal consultation that there was overwhelming support for a non-denominational school within East Dunbartonshire to be an option for children transferring to secondary school from the catchment areas of Lennoxtown Primary and Craighead Primary. Failure to address this would be viewed negatively by the community.

4.3 Option 2: Extend St Ninian’s High School This would require to be considered in terms of the PPP contract and would have considerable financial implications for the Council. 4.4 Option 3: Undertake a Statutory Consultation to Change the Secondary Transfer Arrangements for children who live in the catchment areas of Lennoxtown Primary and Craighead Primary There would require to be a separate proposal and consultation for each catchment area as they are not inextricably linked. Kilsyth Academy and St Ninian’s High School should remain as options. It is not possible to predict parental choice if parents of children who live in the catchment areas of Lennoxtown Primary and Craighead Primary were given the option of an East Dunbartonshire school as well as St Ninian’s High School or Kilsyth Academy. Analysis of the roll projections for the non-denominational secondary schools which are nearest by distance to Lennoxtown and Milton of Campsie was undertaken. These roll projections include an allowance for new housing and the current trend in placing requests. It is not possible to accurately predict the future roll of a school as it is dependent on parental choice. The analysis showed: Kirkintilloch High School could accommodate pupils from either school but not both; there would require to be some management of placing requests if the new housing results in the projected increase in the roll and if 100% of pupils transferred. Lenzie Academy has a high number of placing requests each year, a significant number of these are from outwith East Dunbartonshire Council. There would require to be careful management of placing requests in order to manage the roll effectively. Lenzie Academy could accommodate pupils from either school but not both. A small group of parents at the consultation events expressed the view that the two villages should not be split and could be given a choice of both schools. However this would reduce the educational benefits detailed in Section 7. 5.0 Purpose of the Statutory Consultation 5.1 It is therefore proposed to consult on changes for pupils, who live in the catchment area of Lennoxtown Primary, when they transfer to secondary education. 5.2 The proposed changes would provide parents with a non-denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire in addition to Kilsyth Academy, North Lanarkshire and St Ninian’s High School in East Dunbartonshire. 5.3 Any change to the catchment area of a school or a proposed change to the admissions arrangements requires the Council to carry out a formal statutory consultation as detailed in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. This would involve consultation with a range of stakeholders including parents and pupils affected.

6.0 Proposal 6.1 To consult on the proposal that:  children, who live in the catchment area of Lennoxtown Primary should be zoned to Lenzie Academy as a non-denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire; this would be in addition to the current options of Kilsyth Academy, in North Lanarkshire and St Ninian’s High School in East Dunbartonshire. 6.2 Lennoxtown Primary could be zoned to, and become an associated primary school to Lenzie Academy and if 100% of pupils who currently attend Lennoxtown Primary chose to transfer, then they could be accommodated there. 6.3 Lenzie Academy has an overall capacity of 1310 with an S1 intake of 240 to manage this effectively. There is a high number of placing requests each year and it would restrict the number of placing requests that could be accepted. There is a high level of housing within the catchment area of Lenzie Academy and this has been taken into account in the roll projections. The table below shows the current placing requests accepted into Lenzie Academy:

Placing Requests accepted into S1 : Lenzie Academy Resident within EDC Non-resident 2019/20 37 67 2018/19 25 89 2017/18 38 60

6.4 The Informal Consultation showed that Lennoxtown parents were very clear that they wanted to be zoned to Lenzie Academy: o It was seen as a positive for regeneration of the Place area; o There were a number of placing requests already made by parents to Lenzie Academy; o There are lower numbers transferring from Lennoxtown and so although, placing requests would still have to be reduced to manage the capacity within Lenzie Academy, there would still be sufficient capacity to accommodate placing requests from within EDC.

7.0 Educational Benefits 7.1 All children and young people have an entitlement to a curriculum which is coherent with smooth and well-paced progression through the experiences and outcomes, particularly across transitions, from early learning and childcare to primary, from primary to secondary school, and beyond school. The proposal made in this consultative document aligns with this entitlement. The aim of Curriculum for Excellence and the National Improvement Framework is to raise attainment. The Framework to Ensure Attainment, Achievement and Equity for all Children in East Dunbartonshire is the authority’s strategic approach to the implementation of the

National Improvement Framework. The EDC Framework states that Curriculum for Excellence requires all schools and centres to work across sectors to develop and implement approaches to the curriculum, assessment and learning and teaching. The Authority’s 3 to 18 Management of Cluster Working Policy has informed the development of this approach across all schools. There is very effective 3 to 18 cluster working within East Dunbartonshire, which has been recognised by inspection reports and most recently national awards.

This proposal would enhance 3 to 18 Cluster Working and ensure the delivery of the entitlement to a coherent curriculum with progression and continuity of learning for children.

Presently both Lennoxtown Primary and Craighead Primary work within the St Ninian’s Cluster and there are effective transition arrangements with Kilsyth Academy.

Within East Dunbartonshire, 3 to 18 cluster working involves staff from early years, primary and secondary work collaboratively to develop the curriculum, assessment and learning and teaching approaches. This ensures improved progression and continuity of learning for pupils.

An important aspect of effective assessment is a shared understanding of standards within Curriculum for Excellence levels. This is achieved through effective moderation activities within schools and across sectors, as part of 3 to 18 cluster working. By working collaboratively to moderate the assessment process, teachers improve their professional judgement.

In order to ensure progression and continuity of learning, there needs to be effective tracking of children’s progress from upper primary into secondary. This is more effectively achieved when primary and secondary teachers work as part of a 3 to 18 cluster to agree standards, track progress and transfer assessment data on children, which has been moderated. This should improve levels of attainment within the Broad General Education from primary to S3 in secondary school. In addition, secondary schools work with associated primary schools to develop a programme of visits. These can include a programme during Primary 6 and 7, with secondary staff working with primary pupils in their own school as well as within the secondary school. These are in addition to the transition arrangements, which take place in the last term of Primary 7. There are also enhanced transition arrangements for children with additional support needs. Although staff from Craighead Primary and Lennoxtown Primary work in the St Ninian’s Cluster on curriculum development, these schools are not part of the school visit programme with secondary staff working in the primary schools. If the schools were zoned to a non – denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire, they would move to this cluster with the associated benefits of improved transition and cluster working to enhance the curricular and wellbeing provision for children.

An important aspect of children’s experiences is the opportunity to take part in out of school activities, including supported study in the Senior Phase. This provides children and young people with the opportunity for personal achievement and improved attainment. An extensive programme of after school activities and supported study is available in all East Dunbartonshire secondary schools. If children travel by school transport then they have to make their own travel arrangements home when these activities are finished. The availability of a direct bus route from Lennoxtown and Milton of Campsie to Kirkintilloch or Lenzie would make it easier for children to attend out of school activities. There is no direct bus route to Kilsyth, which parents and children can find is a barrier to attendance at out of school activities.

Children’s wellbeing would be enhanced through taking part in sporting after school activities. Health and well-being is an important aspect of the National Improvement Framework. All East Dunbartonshire schools have support for children’s well-being through a Wellbeing Base with trained staff. This enhanced support is available to all children within an East Dunbartonshire secondary school.

If a non-denominational secondary school within East Dunbartonshire was an option for children, there would be more linked community involvement as youth workers are allocated to secondary schools. The youth workers work with young people in schools and within the community. This is particularly important in the designated Place areas. The availability of data on the performance of EDC pupils to allow for scrutiny by elected members would be improved if a non-denominational school was an option. At present the SQA exam results and School Leaver Destinations for EDC pupils who attend Kilsyth Academy is not available. It is clear from discussions with officers from North Lanarkshire Council that there would be a significant impact on the school roll of Kilsyth Academy if more children were to transfer to an EDC secondary school. However this trend has been happening for the last three years with a decline in the number of children transferring to Kilsyth Academy from Craighead Primary and Lennoxtown Primary. There is no evidence that this trend will not continue and is due to parental choice. This may impact on the delivery of the curriculum within Kilsyth Academy. Smaller secondary schools can find it difficult to offer a wide range of subjects particularly in the Senior Phase. The change would break a local authority agreement on school zoning, which has been in place since the disaggregation of Strathclyde Region in 1996. There have been many developments in education since that time in particular the development of 3 to 18 cluster working as detailed above. Another school option for transfer is likely to cause concern in relation to transition arrangements especially for Session 2020/21. This could be mitigated by provision of enhanced transition in the summer term. This is not an unusual situation due to the number of placing requests to schools other than a catchment school. 8.0 Timeline for Statutory Consultation

Report to Education Committee seeking 5th September 2019 approval for the consultation Consultation starts 9th September 2019 Consultation ends 30th October 2019 Education Scotland prepare report 4th November to 25th November 2019 Consultation Report Published 28th November 2019 Consultation Report Submitted to Council 19th December 2019 Notify Scottish Ministers if Approval is 20th December 2019 given by Council

9.0 Financial and Other Factors to be considered There would be no financial benefits to this proposal. The provision of transport to EDC schools would require to be factored into any projected cost. Pupils already enrolled on a placing request in Lenzie Academy or Kirkintilloch HS could apply for a concessionary place on the school transport.